I Dig Sports
Tadhg Beirne has signed a new two-year contract with Ireland and Munster until 2027.
The forward made his Test debut in 2018 and has earned 58 caps, playing a key role in Ireland's back-to-back Six Nations title wins in 2023 and 2024.
The 33-year-old played every minute of the autumn Tests in November and started Ireland's opening Six Nations wins over England and Scotland this year.
Beirne was one of four Ireland players named in the World Rugby men's XVs dream team of the year for 2024.
He was also named Munster captain before the start of the season.
"It is a source of great pride to represent Ireland and Munster and I am delighted to continue to do so for the foreseeable future," said Beirne, who can play in the second or back rows.
"Playing in Ireland is a dream come true and I believe that Irish rugby is in a strong place with competitive environments across all of the provinces continuing to drive the highest levels of competition at national team level.
"I am hugely excited about the future and will do my best to hopefully deliver for our amazing supporters over the coming seasons."
"Tadhg is a world-class talent whose consistent levels of performance for club and country have been of the highest standards for many years," said IRFU performance director David Humphreys.
"Since breaking into the scene with Clongowes Wood College, Lansdowne and then into the Leinster Academy, he has taken the road less travelled and displayed enormous durability and consistency of performances in achieving league successes with the Scarlets and more recently Munster.
"For Ireland he has been a mainstay in the pack across a hugely successful era and it is a great boost for the IRFU and Munster Rugby, whom he captains, that he has extended his long association in Irish Rugby through until the Rugby World Cup 2027."
Bath forward Ewan Richards has signed a new contract with the club until 2027.
Richards - who can play across the back row - has made 40 appearances for the club since his debut in 2021, after coming through the club's academy.
The 22-year-old has been captain through last season and this campaign's Premiership Rugby Cup, with Bath having already booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition ahead of their final pool game against Bristol on Saturday.
"I'm surrounded by world-class players and coaches, and really excited to see what the future holds and where this team goes," Richards said.
Richards, who has also represented England at under-20 level, has "developed as a player and a leader", said head of rugby Johann van Graan.
"Captaining the Premiership Rugby Cup team for the last two seasons, in line with what we are about as a group - tough to beat and all about the squad," Van Graan said.
"Ewan's best is definitely yet to come, and his versatility will be very important to the squad in the coming years."
Richards is the sixth player to agree new terms with Bath ahead of next season in recent weeks.
OCALA, Fla. Justin Grant kicked off Winter Dirt Games XVI at Ocala Speedway Wednesday night with another USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship win.
The $6,000 score came at the expense of outside front row starter Daison Pursley, who looked to be headed to his third series victory until Grant caught him in a gaggle of lapped cars with four laps remaining in the 30-lap feature.
Kyle Cummins also disposed of Pursley, dropping the fleet youngster to third ahead of fast-timer Mitchel Moles and Jake Swanson.
Something happened there, offered the sixth-starting Grant after climbing out of his NOS Energy Drink/Topp Motorsports mount. Either they got worse or I got better. I love this place! The lapped cars helped a lot and it helped when Chase Stockon dropped out, but Ill take em any way I can get em.
Pursley got the drop on polesitter Stockon on the initial break, with Brady Bacon, Grant and Cummins dropping in line behind them. They ran that way until Mark Smith and Briggs Danner tangled on the frontstretch on lap five to draw the races first yellow.
Grant, who had been working Bacon hard on the inside line, went right back to work when the green flag waved but could not put him away.
Meanwhile, Pursley caught the backmarkers on lap ten but two laps later another yellow flew and got him back out of traffic.
The caution was for Bacon, who suffered a bad ignition box and coasted to a stop, finally moving Grant into the top three.
Pursley prevailed again on the restart, which only went three laps before Ricky Lewis stalled on the backstretch for a third caution. That time, Grant got alongside the second running Stockon on the restart but couldnt get all the way by. But yet another caution for a slowing car on lap 19 saw Stockon pit under the yellow, moving Grant within striking distance of the leader.
The top six cars edged away from the field when green reappeared but eight laps later Pursley got into lapped traffic again and the writing was on the wall. Grant pounced and grabbed the lead when Pursley was held up momentarily, a move duplicated by Cummins and despite a final caution, the finish was set.
The lapped cars me hurt a little, but not bad, tipped a surprisingly calm Pursley. Justin is really good, so it wasnt a surprise that he got to me. I just couldnt run any harder because I was pulling the front wheels when I did.
Cummins was equally calm about his second-place run, saying: Im not thrilled but Im happy. I was too tight before I started and it got worse, so I couldnt have done anything different.
Robert Ballou led a second five that included Englishman Tom Harris, Logan Seavey, 15th-starting C.J. Leary and Kale Drake.
USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, Ocala Speedway, Ocala, Fla., Feb. 12, 2025
HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-14.347; 2. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-14.373; 3. Brady Bacon, 20, Dyson-14.534; 4. Kyle Cummins, 3p, Petty-14.608; 5. Daison Pursley, 86, CBI-14.610; 6. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-14.635; 7. Chase Stockon, 92, Sertich-14.688; 8. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-14.700; 9. Ricky Lewis, 74B, Lewis-14.717; 10. Mark Smith, M1, Smith-14.776; 11. C.J. Leary, 21AZ, Team AZ/Curb-Agajanian-14.812; 12. Briggs Danner, 39, Hogue-14.893; 13. Kale Drake 2B, 2B Racing-14.923; 14. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3R, Rock Steady-14.939; 15. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-14.947; 16. Gunnar Setser, 5G, KO-14.965; 17. Nic Harris, N2, Harris-15.014; 18. Jake Swanson, 5T, Daming/Swanson-15.034; 19. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-15.078; 20. Hayden Reinbold, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-15.095; 21. Tom Harris, 84, Harris-15.131; 22. Harley Burns, 16, Britt Aero-15.189; 23. Matt Goodnight, 39G, Goodnight-15.237; 24. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE-15.251; 25. Trey Osborne, 6T, Osborne-15.387; 26. Stevie Sussex, 5, Baldwin/Fox-15.403; 27. Jadon Rogers, 66, Amati-15.451; 28. Joey Amantea, 88J, JPA-15.460; 29. Kyle Jones, 79, Hall-15.543; 30. Kayla Roell, 4K, Roell-15.556; 31. John Mollick, 4J, Clever-15.970; 32. Troy Carey, 45N, Carey-16.189; 33. Eddie Vancil, 7v, Vancil-16.551; 34. Oliver Akard, 32, Rase-18.717.
ROD END SUPPLY FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Tom Harris, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Kale Drake, 4. Nic Harris, 5. Daison Pursley, 6. Ricky Lewis, 7. Trey Osborne, 8. Kyle Jones, 9. Eddie Vancil. 2:03.783
CAR IQ SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Swanson, 2. Harley Burns, 3. Mark Smith, 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5. Mitchel Moles, 6. Logan Seavey, 7. Stevie Sussex, 8. Kayla Roell. 1:58.602
K1 RACEGEAR THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Kobe Simpson, 2. C.J. Leary, 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Chase Stockon, 5. Matt Goodnight, 6. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 7. Jadon Rogers, 8. John Mollick. 2:02.354
HOOSIER TIRE FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Hayden Reinbold, 2. Briggs Danner, 3. Kyle Cummins, 4. Robert Ballou, 5. Carson Garrett, 6. Gunnar Setser, 7. Joey Amantea, 8. Troy Carey. 1:59.911
ELLIOTTS CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Ricky Lewis, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Jadon Rogers, 4. Gunnar Setser, 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 6. Trey Osborne, 7. Kyle Jones, 8. Kayla Roell, 9. Stevie Sussex, 10. John Mollick, 11. Troy Carey, 12. Eddie Vancil. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (6), 2. Kyle Cummins (3), 3. Daison Pursley (2), 4. Mitchel Moles (5), 5. Jake Swanson (7), 6. Robert Ballou (12), 7. Tom Harris (10), 8. Logan Seavey (11), 9. C.J. Leary (15), 10. Kale Drake (17), 11. Hayden Reinbold (9), 12. Chase Stockon (1), 13. Jadon Rogers (24), 14. Harley Burns (21), 15. Gunnar Setser (19), 16. Matt Goodnight (22), 17. Nic Harris (20), 18. Kevin Thomas Jr. (18), 19. Kobe Simpson (8), 20. Mark Smith (14), 21. Brady Bacon (4), 22. Carson Garrett (23), 23. Ricky Lewis (13), 24. Briggs Danner (16)
Previewing USA-Finland in 4 Nations Face-Off: Stats, top players, key matchups
The 4 Nations Face-Off continues Thursday with the first matchup for the United States and Finland (8 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN+).
These countries have played six times in the eight previous best-on-best tournaments involving NHL players, according to ESPN Research. The U.S. has won four games, Finland won the most recent matchup (2004 World Cup of Hockey), and there has been one tie.
There are six sets of NHL teammates who will be playing against one another in this matchup:
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin (USA) vs. Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen (FIN)
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger (USA) vs. Esa Lindell, Mikael Granlund and Roope Hintz (FIN)
Florida Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk (USA) vs. Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola (FIN)
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes (USA) vs. Erik Haula (FIN)
New York Rangers: Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck (USA) vs. Urho Vaakanainen (FIN)
Ottawa Senators: Jake Sanderson and Brady Tkachuk (USA) vs. Nikolas Matinpalo (FIN)
Who are the key players and matchups to watch? What are the most important statistics heading into this contest? Read on for all of that, plus betting intel courtesy of ESPN BET, and picks on the game from Victoria Matiash.
United States vs.
Finland
Thursday, 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Bell Centre (Montreal)
Betting intel
Moneyline: USA -360 | Finland +280
Game spread: USA -1.5 (-125) | Finland +1.5 (+105)
Total goals: Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (even)
United States
This will be the 11th game the U.S. is playing in Montreal during an NHL international tournament. The country won Games 2 and 3 of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final in Montreal en route to winning the tournament. Of the 10 previous matchups played in Montreal, seven have come against Canada. The U.S. is 4-4 with two ties in 10 previous NHL international tournament games played in the city. The last time the U.S. played Finland in Montreal during an NHL international tournament was a 4-4 round-robin tie in 1981.
Team USA has the youngest average age roster in this tournament at 28.0 years old, and the heaviest roster, at an average of 203 pounds.
The Americans have four players who are leading their NHL teams in points: Kyle Connor (WPG, 69), Jack Eichel (VGK, 69), Jack Hughes (NJ, 65), Zach Werenski (CBJ, 59).
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk will be the fifth set of American brothers to play together at an NHL international tournament. The others are Derian and Kevin Hatcher in 1996, Aaron/Neal Broten in 1984, Brian/Joe Mullen in 1984 and Curt/Harvey Bennett in 1976.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (34 wins) has eight more wins than any other netminder in the NHL this season -- his U.S. teammate Jake Oettinger is second. The last goalie to have eight more wins than any other goalie was in 2015-16 when Braden Holtby (48) had eight more than Jonathan Quick (40). Hellebuyck has already tied a career high with six shutouts this season (2017-18 and 2019-20); he has almost as many shutouts (6) as regulation losses (7).
Finland
Finland has 29 combined gold medals and championships at international tournaments from players on the roster for this event (Olympics, World Championships, World Cup of Hockey, World Juniors and under-18 World Champ), which is second behind Canada's 31; 14 of those golds came from players winning the World Juniors. Finland has three players on this roster who won bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the last Olympics that involved NHL players: Olli Maatta, Aleksander Barkov and Mikael Granlund.
In total, Finland medaled in four of the five Olympics that included NHL players, taking bronze in 1998, 2010 and 2014, and silver in 2006.
Finland has three 20-goal scorers this season: Mikko Rantanen (26), Artturi Lehkonen (22) and Roope Hintz (22). Lehkonen's 22 goals are already a single-season career high, passing the 21 he had in 64 games in 2022-23.
Sebastian Aho has scored 20 goals in each of his first nine seasons. The only Finnish players with longer streaks to begin an NHL career are Jari Kurri (13) and Teemu Selanne (11).
Rantanen's 1.09 career points per game is second-highest all time among Finnish players, behind only Kurri (1.12). The trio of Kurri (1.12), Rantanen (1.09) and Selanne (1.00) are the only Finns to average at least a point per game in their NHL careers (minimum 10 NHL games).
Juuse Saros has 117 wins since 2021-22, which is sixth in the NHL. Two of the five ahead of him are in this tournament: Connor Hellebuyck (USA) is first with 137, and Jake Oettinger (USA) is tied for second with Andrei Vasilevskiy at 128. Igor Shesterkin is fourth, with 127.
Picks for the game
Total goals under 5.5 (+115): Considering how superbly he's performed all season, Connor Hellebuyck -- the heavy Vezina Trophy favorite -- doesn't appear in position to concede many to a Finnish squad that's likely to rely on cohesive chemistry and stingy team defense to keep Game 1 tight. So that leaves us with the burning question of how badly, or not, does Finland starter Juuse Saros get lit up in Montreal against the high-powered Americans?
Perhaps not badly at all. Again, even without blue-line star Miro Heiskanen, Finland's defense -- including Esa Lindell, Niko Mikkola, Olli Maatta, and Jusso Valimaki -- will concentrate on stifling as many high quality chances as possible, helping out their array of two-way forwards.
Historically solid under pressure, the 29-year-old Saros will relish the opportunity to make something positive out of what's been the worst season of his career in Nashville. Guaranteed he's all over the idea of playing spoiler against an American squad that's expected to ruthlessly run over the tournament underdog.
Anytime goal scorer Kyle Connor (+220): Skating on a scoring line with center Jack Eichel and winger Matthew Tkachuk, as well as the secondary power play, the Jets sniper is going to find the back of the net this tournament. Prone to scoring in bunches, Connor is coming off a three-game drought heading into The 4 Nations Face-Off, which sets the table for an explosive start in Montreal. Again, skating on a line with Eichel is a convincing element here. -- Victoria Matiash
J.J. Watt to the Bengals? Bet on amid Burnley streak
English Championship club Burnley made history by keeping a 10th successive clean sheet on Wednesday -- a record that means part owner J.J. Watt might have to make good on a bet that he would make a shock NFL return with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Watt, the former All-Pro defensive end, shared a text conversation with Burnley's James Trafford in December where the goalkeeper, at the very start of the streak, asked the 35-year-old to unretire and join the Bengals.
Watt replied: "You don't allow a goal for the rest of the season and it's a deal." He captioned the post: "This is starting to become a bit of a concern..."
Burnley haven't conceded a goal since that message was shared and on Wednesday became the first club in England's second-tier to keep 10 straight clean sheets after beating Hull City 2-0.
The former Premier League side are third in the table, three points off the automatic promotion places. There are 14 games left in the season.
After sharing the record on social media, Watt posted, "I mean I do love Graeter's and Montgomery Inn BBQ," referencing two famous Cincinnati food institutions.
Watt retired from the NFL in 2022 after 12 seasons, starting with the Houston Texans before joining the Arizona Cardinals. A former first-round draft pick, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Record Breaking!
First team in Championship history to keep 10 straight clean sheets.
Unbelievable.#UTC https://t.co/lKZWT9dtal
JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 12, 2025
Watt bought a minority stake in Burnley a year after his retirement. The Lancashire club take on Preston North End next on Saturday.
Barça's Deco on Yamal future: 'There is no price'
Barcelona sporting director Deco has said "there is no price" for teenage sensation Lamine Yamal as the player's long-term future lies with the Catalan club.
Yamal, 17, is one of the most exciting young talents in world football and has already won the Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy award as Europe's best player under the age of 21.
"There are key players, and he is [one]," Deco said of Yamal to TV3.
"There is no discussion, there is no price. There have been no offers because we didn't even want to talk about it."
Barça president Joan Laporta claimed in October that the club had rejected an offer worth 250 million ($270m) for Yamal after the player helped Spain win Euro 2024.
Since making his first-team debut as a 15-year-old in 2023, Yamal has become a regular for club and country.
"He will surely be at Barça for many years, like Pedri and Gavi ... They will [all] remain here," Deco said. "The club must do its homework, and he [Yamal] will be here for many years."
Barça midfield pair Gavi, 20, and Pedri, 22, recently extended their contracts until 2030. Yamal's deal expires in June 2026, the maximum allowed by law for minors.
The Spanish winger, however, revealed earlier this year that he will soon sign a new contract with Barça, "the club of my life."
Yamal is expected to put pen to paper on a contract until 2030 when he turns 18 on July 13.
His talent has drawn praise from five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who believes Yamal will become "the best player of this new generation."
Deco, who played with Ronaldo for Portugal and alongside Lionel Messi at Barça, agrees Yamal is special.
"Yamal is one of the special ones," Deco said. "Not only does he have talent. He also has a different mental capacity."
Yamal has scored 11 goals and set up 14 more in 31 games for Barça this season.
Jewell ton, Owen cameo take Tasmania past Victoria
Tasmania 270 for 5 (Jewell 105, Owen 48, Wakim 44*, Sutherland 2-45) beat Victoria 266 for 9 (Rogers 68, Harper 50, Elliott 46*, Webster 2-41) by five wickets
In reply to Victoria's 266 for 9, Tasmania chased down the victory target with a whopping 57 balls to spare in Thursday's match.
Owen made headlines when he smashed 108 off 42 balls to lead Hobart Hurricanes to victory in the BBL final against Sydney Thunder in January. The 23-year-old was at it again on Thursday, thumping 48 off 19 balls to get Tasmania's run chase off to a flyer.
Victoria would have surged into second spot with victory over Tasmania, but instead dropped to fourth with only one round remaining before the March 1 final. The Bushrangers (13 points) are three points behind second-placed NSW (16 points), while Tasmania (11 points) are fifth.
NSW host Victoria in the final round in what shapes as effectively an elimination final.
Owen began Tasmania's run chase powerfully, with the home side none for 67 in the sixth over before he skied a catch to Harris.
Sairaj Bahutule appointed Rajasthan Royals' spin-bowling coach for IPL 2025
"Joining Rajasthan Royals again is a tremendous honour," Bahutule said in a release. "The franchise's commitment to nurturing talent and playing an exciting brand of cricket resonates with my own coaching philosophy. I am eager to work alongside Rahul [Dravid, head coach] and the rest of the coaching staff to develop our bowling attack and contribute to the team's success. Together, we aim to achieve great milestones in the forthcoming season."
After his stint with RR, Bahutule joined the National Cricket Academy as spin-bowling coach and was part of the support staff during multiple India A series. More recently, he was assistant to stand-in India head coach VVS Laxman when India toured Ireland for a T20I series. He was also India's bowling coach when they won gold at the Asian Games in 2023.
Bahutule has 633 wickets in first class cricket and ten wickets in T20s. He played two Tests and eight ODIs for India and has transitioned into a coaching career since.
"Sairaj's deep understanding of spin bowling and his extensive coaching experience make him an invaluable addition to our team," Dravid said. "His proven ability to mentor young bowlers aligns perfectly with our vision at Rajasthan Royals. Having worked with him before, I am confident that his insights and guidance will significantly benefit our players as we strive for excellence in the upcoming season."
Mo Bobat: 'Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead'
"Of course, Virat was an option and that goes without saying and I know that the fans would've probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we've seen a lot of love for Rajat too," Bobat said in an event in Bengaluru where Patidar was unveiled as the captain for IPL 2025. "Look, my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we've all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless."
Kohli led the RCB franchise from 2013 to 2021 before he stepped down from the role. He led the team for three matches in 2023 when regular captain Faf du Plessis was injured and played as an Impact Player.
Bobat was confident that despite Kohli not being the designated captain, Patidar would lean on him like his predecessor du Plessis did.
"Everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat's a leader in every sense of the word," Bobat said. "Andy [Flower, head coach] and I lean on him quite a lot. Faf has lent on him quite a lot and we're pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too.
"Even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat, the volume of runs and the strike rate that he scored at last year was so impressive and so important for us. He set the tone, he leads in the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he's actually created run-out chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they've got to be up to their standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy. Everyone has seen how much he likes a fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line."
Bobat also said that Kohli was actively involved in discussions surrounding Patidar being named captain.
"Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week actually in Ahmedabad and it was really nice getting some time with him and talking things through with him [about captaincy]," Bobat said. "And what was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision and this appointment. He's so pleased for Rajat, like us. He knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity and is right behind him."
Kohli was front and centre of RCB turning their season around in IPL 2024. Having won just one out of their first eight games, RCB won six on the bounce to make a miraculous entry into the playoffs. While they went down in the eliminator, Kohli, with 741 runs in 15 innings, won the purple cap. "I think Virat's energy and motivation and drive is really something special to behold in a 36-year-old cricketer that's done everything in the game," Flower said. "I really respect him for it and it's great role modelling for the younger players and younger overseas players to come and work with him as well. It was nice to watch it from within the same dressing room last year.
"My experience with him, particularly in the first half of the last season when we were struggling and he was a huge part of turning that season around for us, in the way that he carried himself in his role modelling of how he works at the day and thinks about the day, that experience with him only made my respect for him grow. And I would say the same thing about our discussions over the captaincy of RCB coming season."
Patidar also said that having had plenty of good partnerships with Kohli over the years, he does not mind leaning on him for suggestions and that it would help him in his leadership role.
"It's a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the best," Patidar said. "I have had a lot of partnerships with him, so I think I know him very well. So yeah, his experience and his ideas will definitely help me in my leadership role."
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Rizwan: 'Babar still contributing valuably if you don't judge him by extreme expectations'
"Babar has scored so many runs for Pakistan that we expect him to score a hundred in each game," Rizwan said. "If we don't judge him by those extreme expectations, you'll find he's still chipping in and contributing valuably for us.
"As a captain, I expect a lot more of him too because of all he has done in the past. There is obviously an additional pressure because of it and I'm sure he feels that too. But if you look at his innings in South Africa, [he is still scoring runs]. It's not as if he has clear technical deficiencies, but he is still being tested. I am confident he'll come out of it."
"When Abdullah Shafique got out early in South Africa, Babar had to deal with the new ball anyway. He was coping with the seam and swing and enabling us to attack at the end. So, we thought why not go for our most technically solid player to open, rather than throwing someone else in at the deep end"
Mohammad Rizwan
"We have other players who can open if we need them to. Saim Ayub was a huge all-round blow for us, including in the field because he was one of our best fielders, opened the batting, and could bowl eight or so overs.
"His absence created a huge disturbance, and we went for the safety of Babar Azam, who's our best batter. At the top, if the ball swings, he can control it. When Abdullah Shafique got out early in South Africa, Babar had to deal with the new ball anyway. He was coping with the seam and swing and enabling us to attack at the end. So, we thought why not go for our most technically solid player to open, rather than throwing someone else in at the deep end."
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